


The Scientist's Song

by redfiona



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen, Spoilers, minor character fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-10
Updated: 2008-06-10
Packaged: 2017-10-07 16:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/66916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redfiona/pseuds/redfiona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set during 'Planet of the Ood' with spoilers for that. Dr. Ryder's thoughts while in hangar 15.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Scientist's Song

Author: Red Fiona

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, BBC and whoever are producing Doctor Who at the moment do. No money being made.

Characters: Dr. Ryder

Rating: U-PG, no worse than Dr. Who itself.

Genre: Gen-fic, episode tag

Spoilers: Planet of the Ood

~~~~

He knew he was going to die, the physics that he remembered from school told him that much. There was no way that the brain was going break his fall, brains were spongy, but not that spongy. His medical degree meant he knew his back was going to break, and his death would probably be instantaneous. At least there shouldn't be any pain.

Parts of his life do flash before him, like the cliché says, mostly the bad thing. The things he'd seen and not done anything about, and the things he'd done himself to poor, defenceless Ood. He'd go home and vomit, and cling to his bed in the morning, trying to avoid working the next day. He'd always been a coward.

When he'd been at university, he'd always thought that the Friends of the Ood had the right idea but he didn't get involved. It could have hurt his career. Until, one day, as he'd been out running, anything to avoid working on his dissertation, and he'd seen some idiot stubbing out his cigarette on his Ood. He saw red and couldn't stop himself.

Afterwards, he almost turned himself in, hoping that that would mean any charges would be reduced. Then he realised that the man wouldn't turn him in, because while the Ood were treated like dogs, there would probably be charges for mistreating them that badly. So instead he went to a Friends of the Ood meeting and, hanging back as all the others left, he told them what had happened. Sensibly, they assumed he was a government spy. But he kept going, and eventually they realised he wasn't. In many ways, he was perfect for them, a true believer without a record, because after a while they told him to stop coming in the front door and to wear some sort of hat or hood to disguise himself. About three years in they told him the plan. It took him twenty years to get from that to here.

It was only a belief that it would eventually lead to freedom for the Ood that kept him going, and it looked like that would happen. It didn't matter that he wouldn't be there to see it, that it was going to was enough for him.

He commended his soul to a God he'd never believed in and hoped he'd be forgiven for all the things he'd done, both in his own life and in infiltrating Ood Corporation.

And then he heard it. He couldn't describe it, or understand it but it sounded like strawberries and sunny days on the beach. It was scientific discovery and first love.

It sounded like home.

~~~~


End file.
